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Ask the Experts: The lawyer

We are very keen to purchase a small farmhouse property in our local area. It is being sold with an agricultural occupancy restriction and so is on the market for considerably less that other local houses. I am a vet who works both in the immediate local area and at a location 30 miles away. As a vet, will I satisfy the condition? If not, will it be easy to remove the condition?

DB, Wales

An agricultural occupancy condition requires that the house is occupied by a person who works, or last worked, solely or mainly in agriculture. In the past, such conditions have been imposed in farming areas where the local planning authority recognised the need to provide new accommodation for agricultural workers but would not otherwise have granted planning permission. Today, changes in farming methods mean that fewer dwellings are needed for these workers.